Shiga toxin 2e (Stx2e)

Shiga toxin 2e (Stx2e) is a subtype of Shiga toxin 2 produced by certain Escherichia coli strains, belonging to the AB5 family of bacterial protein toxins with molecular weight around 70 kDa.[1][3] It consists of an enzymatic A subunit that cleaves an adenine residue from the 28S rRNA of the 60S ribosome, halting protein synthesis in eukaryotic target cells, and a pentameric B subunit that binds preferentially to globotetraosylceramide (Gb4) rather than the typical globotriaosylceramide (Gb3).[1][3] Unlike more human-pathogenic subtypes like Stx2a, Stx2e is primarily associated with porcine edema disease, a severe neurological disorder in pigs characterized by edema and high fatality rates, with prototype strain S1191.[1][3] The toxin is encoded in a lambda-like bacteriophage operon and exhibits differences in receptor binding and cytotoxicity compared to other Stx2 variants.[1][3] No approved therapeutic drugs directly target Stx2e, as it is a virulence factor rather than a host therapeutic target, and efforts focus on preventing E. coli infections or neutralizing Stx broadly in veterinary contexts.[1][3]

Other names

Stx2e toxinVerotoxin 2e